WISCONSIN – CAMP RANDALL STADIUM

Madison, Wisconsin is an ideal college town highlighted by the state capitol and surrounding lakes – Mendota and Monona. It is home to Camp Randall Stadium, which is frequently regarded as one of the Big Ten’s wildest and most thrilling venues. Once a Civil War training site, this massive structure is crammed into a beautiful residential area among dorms, fraternity houses, campus buildings, and bars.

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Game #332: Buffalo @ #19 Wisconsin

The Luke Fickell era.

Anticipation for the new coaching regime has been palpable between Lakes Mendota and Monona. Coach Chryst’s firing last October sent seismic blasts through Wisconsin’s fan base. While shocking at first, the understanding that the Badgers have the potential to be elite is evident. But, the run-heavy philosophy of previous coaches needed tweaking, and Fickell was ready to install the air raid offense – a cultural shift saturated in intrigue.

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Game 322: Wisconsin @ Northwestern

A week of turmoil ended blissfully for the Badgers, while Northwestern has now found themselves in a free fall.

In a stunning move six days prior to this game, the Badgers fired their successful head coach, Paul Chryst. Overall, Wisconsin has maintained a strong level of winning consistency. However, victories in the critical games have been a daunting hurdle, such as Big Ten title games or regular season games against Ohio State. When former Wisconsin head coach, Bret Bielema, brought his Illini into Camp Randall and decimated the Badgers, that became the final nail. Paul Chryst was on the chopping block.

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Game 319: New Mexico State @ Wisconsin

Washington State’s upset over Wisconsin last weekend exposed the Badgers and their predictable rushing-based offense. Four-star QB recruit, Graham Mertz, seemed to only have one or two stars lit on the field. Overall, the defense played well, but the offense had many errors to correct, especially when it came to fundamental execution. While this outcome was phenomenal for the visiting Cougars, it was probably the worst case scenario for this week’s opponent, the New Mexico State Aggies. Wisconsin would come out well-practiced and angry. The Aggies were the punching bag.

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Game 318: Washington State @ Wisconsin

Expectations for maintaining a consistently strong program is an annual outlook for the Badgers. Coming off a strong shutout of Illinois State, Wisconsin was set to host Washington State, a team coming off a less impressive victory over Idaho. In the off-season, Camp Randall Stadium had undergone a facelift with upgraded seating in the south end zone and the renaming of the field after coaching legend, Barry Alvarez. These improvements only add to the expectations for a successful season and increase the hype for an even brighter future.

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Game 306: #18 Wisconsin vs. #12 Notre Dame

Meeting in the middle in Chicago, Notre Dame battled Wisconsin for the first time since 1964. The headlines leading up to this matchup circulated around the quarterback matchup. Senior Jack Coan, Notre Dame’s signal caller, just had transferred from Wisconsin where current freshman quarterback, Graham Mertz, had just nudged him out of the starting position. The drama surged with discussions of which quarterback would prove himself more worthy. In the end, inexperience would be the difference as Wisconsin literally threw the game away.

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Game 287: Central Michigan @ #19 Wisconsin

A little Wisconsin football history for you:

The Badgers used to really suck.
Tickets to a Wisconsin game were as sought after as a communicable disease. People would leave unsold Badger tickets on car windshields. Shamed football players shielded their letter jackets from view. The late eighties officially materialized Wisconsin’s tradition of being a doormat.
The program needed a major facelift, and the leaders at UW knew it. That is when Barry Alvarez strolled in as Wisconsin’s new head coach. Confidence. Toughness. Swagger. Adjectives that Badger football lacked, but that Alvarez had packed in his suitcase.
A handful of Big Ten and Rose Bowl championships later, the Badgers have become a consistent winner. Alvarez is now the athletic director helping to maintain this success.
I share this history because today’s 61-0 Wisconsin victory over CMU should not be taken for granted. There was a time when fans would come more for the band than the team, which made the retirement of its longtime band director such a momentous shift.

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